Scarra: 'I knew this day was going to come'
It has been a long time coming, with his 35-year-old body struggling to keep up with the demands of the modern game.
Siyabonga Ntubeni, affectionately called ‘Scarra’, is going to have one last outing with the Stormers before walking off into the proverbial sunset.
“Dobbo [Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson] and I have been having chats since earlier this year,” the one-cap Springbok and Stormers stalwart told a media scrum at the Cape Town Stadium.
Ntubeni reached his 100th appearance for the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship match against the Sharks in December 2023.
“It is time for me to ‘take a bow’ and it would be nice to play my last game here at this [Cape Town] stadium,” he said ahead of the URC Round 15 face-off against Irish province Connacht.
“I knew this day was going to come. The last few months have come quicker than a thought.”
He said he is content with the decision.
“I am grateful for my time here at the Stormers, what this union has done for me and meant to me.”
While this is his last season, he will ‘stay in shape’ in case the Stormers send an SOS and need a ‘seasoned’ hooker.
* (WATCH as one-cap Springbok and Stormers stalwart Siyabonga Ntubeni reveals what the future holds for him……)
“I will remain part of the squad, but Dobbo and I had a chat, and he wants to give a potential last game at home.”
The nine minutes of Springbok rugby he had against Argentina in 2019 rank right up there as one of his most special moments.
His 100th game was another ‘big’ occasion, along with winning the Currie Cup against the Sharks in Durban in 2012.
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